SME Traveller

ONYX Hospitality - Wide plans for the Indian market

Tue - 16 Dec
Written by Mandeep Puri

ONYX Hospitality, one of the leading hospitality chains in Asia is entering the Indian market with the launch of a property in Punjab soon. It was in the year 2010, this Thailand based hospitality group embarked on a multi-brand expansion plan with four complementary brands – Saffron, Amari, Shama and OZO –for the different requirements of business and other travellers.

Indian Hotel industry registers growth

Tue - 17 Jan
Written by SEI News Desk

India’s hotel industry has shown robust growth in the fiscal (2011-2012) till November, notwithstanding the global and local economic slowdown, reporting continuous revenue-per-available-room (RevPAR) growth and the hotel inventory is expected to add another 61,000 rooms in the next three years, according to a survey.

Based on the market survey by STR Global, the global market watch on hospitality industry, India's hotel industry showed overall revenue growth in 2011. "India, with a population over 1.2 billion and a growing economy, is allowing the Indian hotel market to prosper as hotel brands continue to expand their portfolio in the main cities and in the regions," says Elizabeth Randall, managing director for STR Global. "Our partnership with Horwath HTL-India will help us to better assist our existing and future clients across India and provide more market visibility for international and national operators and investors alike,” she adds.

Lufthansa brings exclusive offers for Indian SMEs

Thu - 22 Dec
Written by SEI News Desk

Lufthansa announced a slew of initiatives under its corporate travel plan for Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The airline is set to provide easier upgrades and faster and more cash back offers among others under its Star Alliance Company Plus (SACP) programme to enable SMEs to reduce the cost of their business travel.

Axel Hilgers, Director (South Asia), Lufthansa said: "Lufthansa has always partnered small and medium enterprises in India and these enhancements are yet another step in this direction. The new programme delivers additional value, making business travel more rewarding". SACP members from India can enjoy easier upgrades from February 1, 2012 with a five-fold increase in the value of cash backs through a substantial enhancement in the earning power of their reward points, the statement said.

An Entrepreneur from the Mountains: Thinlas Chorol

Mon - 16 May
Written by Lovnish Thakur

This is the story of a simple village girl born in the remote village of Takmachik in Sham region of Ladakh. What began as an idea of proving one's worth in the Ladakhi society, culminated with the birth of Ladakhi Women’s Travel Company, the first woman-owned and operated travel company in Ladakh.

Thinlas points out that her love for the mountains was the primary reason she chose her passion as her career. After facing tremendous challenges as a woman out to uphold her work in a men’s domain, it was the guiding words of Sonam Wangchuk (Director of SECMOL) that helped her develop her vision and establish herself as the most experienced female trekker of Ladakh. SECMOL (Students Education and Culture Movement of Ladakh) is an organization that helps educate children from remote regions of Ladakh. Thinlas was a student here.

Have a Wandering Quest? ‘Click’ Start Your Travel Missions!

It took Columbus and his men months of ever looming uncertainty floating over their ship’s mast and barrages of troubles jostling through the magnificent deep blue ocean, to discover America! He was not privileged to have a brush with the hi-fi technology in navigation and communication that time.

Sapna Ramachandran: Marking Success in the Travel Segment

Tue - 13 Jul
Written by Valsala Menon

Sapna Ramachandran – smart, confident, vibrant and full of energy, is the proprietress of her own travel agency Verdant Travels at Ernakulam. Any holiday package anywhere in India, at affordable prices and the right person to turn to is Sapna. She shares with Small Enterprise India how she gave up her job with the Le Meridian group to start out on her own.

Tra-la-la It's Travel-la-la... !

Now as we entered into the post slowdown phase, we could find out that things in the business scenario have started taking their own shape. New business models, and new business propositions are now started showing their presence.The travel industry especially the business travel industry is no different from it. Business travel has already started making its presence felt when the concept of budget hotels entered into Indian market.